There's no denying that this year's crop of Formula 1 are, well, let's say aesthetically challenged. They're so bad it makes us long to see the Williams F1 "walrus nose" car racing again. This isn't entirely the designers' faults; they had to work around a slew of new rules meant to increase safety and competitiveness. The result is a grid full of cars that look like proboscis monkeys. Or anteaters. And the Ferrari looks like an aardvark.

That sound you heard is the ghosts of Colin Chapman laughing and Enzo Ferrari sobbing.

There was a time, though, when Formula 1 cars didn't all look the same, and designers somehow managed to meld great beauty with raw speed. Today's cars are faster than ever, but they don't make the heart skip like the Mercedes-Benz W 196, a car that seemed ripped right from the pages of a 1950s sci-fi comic. Neither do they break new ground, like the Lotus 78, or push the bounds, like the six-wheeled Tyrell P-34.

From the seductive Maserati 250 F to the retro-licious Williams FW-36, here are our picks for the most beautiful F1 cars ever built. We've probably overlooked your favorite, so share your picks in the comments.